The Articles of Confederation | Period 3: 1754-1800 | AP US History | Khan Academy

Khan Academy

3 Jul 201705:14

Summary

TLDRIn this video, Kim and Leah discuss the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States. They explain its creation during the American Revolution and highlight its limited government structure, which lacked executive and judicial branches. While it successfully united the states and helped end the Revolutionary War, its weaknesses became apparent, especially during Shays' Rebellion, when the government couldn't raise taxes or a military. This led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where the founding fathers drafted the stronger, current U.S. Constitution.

Takeaways

📜 The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, created in 1777 during the American Revolution.
⚖️ The Articles emphasized limited government, with a very small central government to avoid the abuses of monarchy.
🏛️ There was no executive or judicial branch under the Articles, and Congress was the only body representing all 13 states.
🗳️ Changing the Articles required unanimous consent from all 13 states, making it difficult to pass amendments or laws.
⚔️ The Articles helped the U.S. end the Revolutionary War through the Treaty of Paris in 1783, uniting the 13 colonies under one government.
🌍 The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, passed under the Articles, provided guidelines for westward expansion and land management.
📉 A key issue with the Articles was that the federal government couldn’t levy taxes, leading to financial difficulties.
💸 Shays' Rebellion in 1786 exposed the weaknesses of the Articles, as the government couldn't raise an army or pay soldiers from the war.
👥 The rebellion led influential figures like George Washington and James Madison to realize the need for a stronger central government.
📝 In 1787, the Constitutional Convention was held to replace the Articles with a new Constitution, which provided a more balanced federal system.

Q & A

What were the Articles of Confederation?
-The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, created in 1777 during the American Revolution, designed to form a government that looked as different from a monarchy as possible.
Why was the federal government under the Articles of Confederation designed to be small?
-The federal government was kept small because the framers wanted to avoid any resemblance to the monarchy they were rebelling against. This led to the creation of a very limited central government.
What branches of government were missing under the Articles of Confederation?
-The Articles of Confederation lacked both an executive branch and a judicial branch, leaving Congress as the sole governmental body, which was made up of representatives from all 13 states.
How difficult was it to pass laws or amendments under the Articles of Confederation?
-Passing laws required the approval of 9 out of 13 states, and amending the Articles required unanimous consent from all 13 states, making it very difficult to enact changes.
What were some positive accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation?
-The Articles helped unite the 13 colonies under one government and successfully passed the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War. It also passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which established a process for western expansion.
What was the main problem with the Articles of Confederation as the country grew?
-As the country grew, the Articles of Confederation proved insufficient for addressing issues related to governance and economic growth, including the lack of centralized power and difficulties in managing growing pains as new territories were added.
What event highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
-Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts exposed the weaknesses of the Articles, particularly the federal government's inability to raise taxes, pay debts, or field a national army to suppress the rebellion.
Why couldn't the federal government under the Articles of Confederation pay its debts or maintain a military?
-The federal government lacked the power to levy or collect taxes, which left it unable to pay its debts or fund a national military, relying instead on state militias.
Who were some of the founding fathers that pushed for a new constitution?
-George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison were among the key figures who recognized the need to replace the Articles of Confederation with a stronger central government.
What was the result of Shays' Rebellion and other problems under the Articles of Confederation?
-The problems highlighted by Shays' Rebellion led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where leaders drafted a new constitution to create a stronger federal government, ultimately replacing the Articles of Confederation.

Outlines

00:00

🏛 Introduction to the Articles of Confederation

The conversation begins with an introduction to the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, which predates the current constitution established in 1789. The historical context is set during the American Revolution in 1777, where the focus was on creating a government system that was distinctly different from a monarchy. The Articles were designed to establish a limited government with a very small central government, lacking an executive or judicial branch, and consisting solely of a Congress with one representative from each of the 13 states. The process for amending the Articles required unanimous consent from all states, which was a significant hurdle. The need for at least nine states' approval to pass laws is likened to the difficulty of achieving consensus among a group of people.

05:02

🛑 The Challenges and Achievements of the Articles of Confederation

Despite the challenges, the Articles of Confederation were instrumental in uniting the 13 colonies under one government, which was crucial for passing treaties such as the Treaty of Paris in 1783, ending the Revolutionary War. They also enabled the passage of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which laid out plans for westward expansion and land management. However, the system faced growing pains as the country expanded. The realization that the Articles were inadequate was sparked by Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising led by Daniel Shays and other farmers in Massachusetts who were upset over unpaid wages and high state taxes. The central government, as established by the Articles, lacked the ability to levy taxes to repay the farmers and had no military to quell the rebellion, highlighting the need for a stronger central authority. This led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where leaders like George Washington, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison recognized the need for a new constitution to address these issues.

🏗 The Need for a New Constitution

The final part of the script discusses the decision to move away from the Articles of Confederation towards a new constitution. Despite the initial aversion to monarchy, the leaders of the United States recognized the necessity of a stronger central government. This realization was prompted by the inability of the Articles to effectively handle financial and military challenges, such as raising funds and maintaining a standing army. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was convened to draft a new constitution that would better serve the needs of a growing nation.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, adopted in 1777 during the American Revolution. They created a weak central government, with most power retained by the states. This structure was designed to avoid the perceived tyranny of a strong central government, such as the British monarchy. The video highlights the limitations of the Articles, particularly their inability to levy taxes or maintain a standing army.

💡Limited Government

Limited government refers to a political system where the powers of the central government are restricted. Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government was intentionally kept weak, lacking an executive branch and judicial system, and with Congress holding limited power. This concept is central to the early American experiment in governance, as the founders aimed to avoid the overreach of a monarchy.

💡Shays' Rebellion

Shays' Rebellion was a key event that exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. In 1786, farmers in Massachusetts, led by Daniel Shays, rebelled due to high taxes and lack of payment for their military service during the Revolutionary War. The central government’s inability to raise an army or funds to suppress the rebellion revealed the flaws in the Articles and spurred the push for a stronger federal government.

💡Northwest Ordinance of 1787

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was one of the few successful legislative acts passed under the Articles of Confederation. It provided a framework for the expansion of the United States, establishing how new territories in the northwest would be governed and how they could become states. This ordinance was important for the country's growth, even though the Articles themselves were largely ineffective in other areas.

💡Central Government

The central government under the Articles of Confederation was extremely weak, with no executive or judicial branches and a Congress that had limited authority. This was a deliberate choice to prevent the formation of a powerful, potentially oppressive central authority, like the British monarchy. However, this decentralized system proved problematic, especially in times of crisis like Shays' Rebellion.

💡Federal Government vs. State Governments

The balance of power between the federal government and state governments is a key theme in the discussion of the Articles of Confederation. The Articles favored state sovereignty, with each state having significant control over its affairs, while the federal government had limited authority. This division of power led to inefficiencies and conflicts, as seen in the inability to raise taxes or form a national military.

💡Unanimous Consent

Under the Articles of Confederation, unanimous consent from all 13 states was required to amend the Articles. This high threshold made it extremely difficult to make any changes or improvements, contributing to the system's ineffectiveness. The script uses this as an example of the hurdles in decision-making under the Articles, highlighting the inefficiency of requiring total agreement among the states.

💡Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and was a significant diplomatic achievement under the Articles of Confederation. It established peace between the United States and Britain and secured American independence. This treaty is mentioned in the video as one of the few successes of the Articles, despite their overall weaknesses.

💡Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was convened to address the failures of the Articles of Confederation, following events like Shays' Rebellion. Prominent figures like George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison gathered to draft a new constitution that would create a stronger federal government. The video explains how the failure of the Articles led to this pivotal moment in American history.

💡Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government where power is concentrated in a single ruler, such as a king or queen. The American Revolution was fought to break free from British monarchical rule, and the Articles of Confederation were designed to prevent any return to such a system. The script discusses how the framers of the Articles sought to create a government as different from a monarchy as possible, leading to the weak central government.

Highlights

The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, adopted in 1777 during the American Revolution.

A major focus of the Articles was to avoid creating a powerful central government similar to the monarchy the colonies had rebelled against.

The Articles of Confederation created a limited central government with no executive or judicial branches and a very weak Congress.

Each state had one representative in Congress, and unanimous consent from all 13 states was required to amend the Articles.

For laws to pass, nine out of 13 states needed to agree, which made decision-making difficult and slow.

Despite its flaws, the Articles of Confederation successfully united the 13 states under one government during the early years of the country.

The Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783, was negotiated under the government formed by the Articles of Confederation.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, passed under the Articles, established guidelines for westward expansion and how new territories could become states.

One of the major weaknesses of the Articles was the inability of Congress to levy taxes, which left the government without funds to pay its debts or maintain a military.

Shays' Rebellion in 1786-1787 exposed the inability of the central government to suppress armed uprisings due to its lack of military power.

The rebellion highlighted the failure of the Articles of Confederation to provide an effective national government, leading to widespread calls for reform.

The founders, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, recognized the need for a stronger federal government.

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called in response to the failure of the Articles of Confederation to address the country's needs.

The leaders at the Constitutional Convention drafted a new constitution that established a stronger central government while still avoiding the concentration of power seen in a monarchy.

The new Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation, has been the framework for the United States government since 1789.